Republican candidate Rick Santorum says President Barack Obama is pushing a radical environmental agenda that unwisely limits energy production and turns its back on science.

The former senator from Pennsylvania told voters in eastern Ohio on Monday that science is on the side of those who want to aggressively produce more oil and natural gas in America. He said the notion of global warming is not climate science but "political science."

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Janelle Hall Reports In Steubenville

Campaigning at Froehlich's Classic Corner restaurant, Santorum said that Obama and his allies want to frighten people about new oil-exploration technologies so they can get your dollars and turn it over to politicians to win elections "so they can control your lives."

Here is an excerpt:

"What they have done, and I referred to it the other day, and I got criticized by some of our less than erudite members of the national press corps who have a difficulty understanding when you refer to someone's ideology to the point where they elevate Earth and they say that, well, men and humanity is just one of a variety of different species on the earth and should be treated no differently and we elevate, in fact, look at this ideology of the Earth if you will, and rise it above the interests of man -- whereas we all know man has the responsibility as stewards of the Earth, that we are good stewards and we have a responsibility as good stewards. Why? Because unlike the Earth, we're intelligent and can actually manage things. And leaving things for nature, as those on the radical environmental list would do -- don't touch anything, leave it alone, nature will take care of itself -- yes, it will, and it won't be pretty.

"We can actually manage and husband things. You plant a garden and let the Earth take care of it, you're not going to get much out of it. You let the forest grow and let it take care of itself, and what you'll have is boom and bust and decay and destruction. But if you husband it, if you take care of it, you nurture it, use the intellect -- it's so funny, this party that criticizes the right for being anti-science, but when it comes to the management of the Earth, they are the anti-science ones. We are the ones who stand for science and technology and using the resources we have to be able to make sure that we have a quality of life in this country and maintain a good and stable environment."

Ohio's GOP primary is March 6. Santorum planned several campaign appearances later Monday in Michigan, where a primary will be held on Feb. 28.